Bobbin-gripping device for shuttles



Patented June 26, 1928.

UNITED STATES` PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM T. rREsoOTT, OE LAWRENCE, MAssAcHI/IsETTs, AssIeNoR ToA U. s. BOBBIN a e SHUTTLE. COMPANY, OE PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OE RHODE ISLAND. j

BOBBIN-GRIPPING DEVICE FOR SIzUlll?LES. k

` Application mea october i4, 192e. semi No. 141,529.

This invention pertains to weaving shuttles of the type commonly employed in automatic bobbin replenisliing looms, such shu t' tles being provided at one end with bobbin.

gripping means adapted to receive and to hold the butt end oiIV a bobbin and from which the exhausted bobbin is expelled vby the incoming full bobbin, the present inven-` tion relating specifically to improvements in bobbin gripping devices Jror such shuttles.

Usually the bobbin gripping device comprises a fork having opposed resilient jaws, the jaws being spaced apart to receive the bobbin butt between them and being disposedv respectively adjacent to the opposite side walls of the shuttle body, and a bobbin guiding cam which is disposed between the planes of the jaws and which has an inclined surface adapted to engage and'to guide the butt of the incoming bobbin into position between the jaws. y

The Vfork is usually made ot' afstrip of spring steel doubledy to'provide a relatively narrow shank portion Iorattachnientto'the shuttle body and having its ends spaced apartto provide the opposed jawsabove referred to. The bobbin guiding cam commonly consists of a strip of sheet steel bent to provide vsubstantially parallel top and bottom plates spaced to'i'eccive between them the shank of the` fork and integrally connected by an inclined portion forming' the cam surface. The bottom plate of the cam is usually furnished with'integral `lateral wing members which seat in grooves in the wood of the shuttle'and sometimes an independent member providing ksuch lateral wings is associated-with the topplate of the cam, such wing members providing a broad bearing surface to'resist the "impact or blow of the bobbin as the latter is. driven'into operative position between the jaws.

In order to stitien rand thicken the shank of the fork it is commonV to introduce a lill'er piece between the sidewalls of the shank and thisiiller piece is sometimes extendedso as to underlie'thevinclined orcam portion lof the bobbin guide, thusl reinforcing and stiiening the latter. l y j Although he fork ywith its jaws is made of tempered steel the rough treatment to which` it is subjected results infrequent breakage so that it is essential` to secure the orkto the shuttle body by means Vpermitting VKits ready removal and replacement. Moreover, as the guiding cam embraces the shank-of the `fork it is likewise necessary removably to attach the cam to the shuttle body. It has been usual to secure thefork in position by meansof a bolt extending transversely through the shuttle body and the shank of the fork, and to attach the cani by means ota wood screw or bolt extending vertically down from the top of the shuttle.

While the jaws of the fork aie subjected to very heavyblows, the torce of such blows is largely borne by the Vbottom wall of the shuttleJ so that the transverse retaining bolt experiences comparatively little stress or vibratioii'and does not tend quickly to loosen or unsc'rew, and even though it should loosen no serious consequence would necessarily follow. On thefother hand, the screw or bolt which holds the bobbin cam in place is subjected to severe longitudinal stress and vibration which tends to loosen itsgrip on the shuttle body or permit itto turn inits nut, so that' in either case it may eventually project upwardly beyond the shuttle body.

Such loosening of the retaining means for the cam'may result'seriously, first, since it permits the cam to tip when engaged by the entering .bobbin so that thevlatter` may fail utterly to enter the jaws, possibly jamming and breaking adjacent parts, while secondly, if the fastening means project to any substantial degree above the shuttle body, it may cut the warps of the overlying shedV or may cause the shuttle tobe thrown 'out or the loom with great dangerof injury to vantages of prior` devices together with a Y simplification of structureand reductionin the necessary number of parts. j

' In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention by way of example, together with certain modiications thereof and in the drawings.

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view illustrating the rear or heel endl ot a weaving shuttle equipped with bobbin gripping means .constructed in accordance with the present invention.;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1; i

Fig. 3 is a vertical section substantially on the line 3-3 of Figi;l

Fig. 4 is a plan View, partly broken away, ofthe improved grippingI device removed from the shuttle body;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4i;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary View, similar to Fig. 5, but illustrating a modification;

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view ofthe device shown in the Fig. 61; i

Y Fig. 8 is a view generally similarl to Fig. but illustrating a further modification.; and

F ig. 9 isa side elevation oli a filler or re- .in'forcedl piece employed inthe moditieation shown in Fig. 8.

Referring more specifically to the drawings and particularly to Figs. 1 to inclumetal tips such as; indicated at 2.

sive,-the numeral 1 designates the body of a shuttle of substantially usual construction7 such. body ordilmirily being made of' hard wood and being furnished at its ends with shuttle body provided with the. usual elongate cavitylr tor the reception of the bobbin, and at one end this cavity is furnished with a recess il torthe reception ot parts ot the bobbin gripping device as` hereina'tter more fully described. Preterably the walls of the recessd` are provided at top and bottom with undercut groovesv and (i (Figs. 1 and 3) extending laterally int-o the body `ofthe shuttle.

The bobbin, gripping device constructed in accordance with the present invention; con prises .a `fork conveniently formed by doubling a piece of sheet steel at, the point 7 (Fig. et) to. provide a. shank portion vcomprising the spaced side walls 8 and 9 substantially parallel to each other and whose vtree ends are bent outwardly as indicated at 1() and 11 respectively and terminate in the slightly convergent bobbin gripping jaws l2 and 13.

liti

Vlhe inner opposed surfaces of these jaws are grooved or corrugated inthe usual manner indicated at 14 for cooperation with the rings upon the bobbin butt, and-preferably the upperedges of the jiaws are, beveled as indicated at, 15 to "facilitate entry o the bobbin butt between the jaws.

A filler pieceor weh member 16 is. interposed between the spaced parallel Side Walls 8 and 9 of the shanlro the fork. This .filler piece 1G is conveniently made of sheet metal and its upperfand lower edges are substantially flush with the upper and lowerj edges of the parts 8 and 9.

The.

likewise providedwith integral lateral wings 21,. the wings engaging the undercut groove 5 in the shuttle body and. the wings 911 engaging the corresponding undercut grooves 6 in the shuttle body, thus accurate-y lylocatingthe cam in the desired position.

In accordance with the .referred embodieinnt of the invention,..t iveb-lil re` filler piece 16 is permanently secured to .ther top plate 17 by an integral projection 22 extending upwardly through an openiingn the plate 1T and headed over to form a connecting rivet. Likewise the lower plate 18is, permanently united to. the filler piece 16. b an integral. `proiection 23. off the latter which is headed over to forman attaching; rivet.

I also prefer,` although this is not necessary7 to shape the filler piece 1'6 so that while` its upper and lower edges engage the inner surfaces of the plates 1T and 18, its, forward edge is shaped so as. to engage the inner surface ot the cam element 19,` thus providing a rigid support and reinforce for the entire cam. device.

The cam andfiller` piece 16 being permanently united, constitute inetect a single element which may be handled as a unit. The Eller piece 1,6 is provided with an opeih ing 24 near its rear end,`r and when the grip` ping device is. properly seated in the recess 4 in the shuttle body, this opening 24 aligns with openi s in the sidewalls 8 and 9 of the shank o. the fork and with an opening extending transversely through the shuttle body. A bolt 25 is passed through the ali ned `openings in the several parts, Y

such bo t having a head. 26`preferably seated in a recess 277i!! 011e side of the shuttle body, whileA the other end 28 of the bolt is-screwthreaded y for engagement with a nut 29 seat-ed in a recess. 3D in the other side ofthe shuttle bod This single transverse bolt thus Vconstitutes the sole means for securing both fork and cam in position; the cambeing, as above de.- cribed permanently united to the filler piece 16 so that the are in eect a unitary s ructure. It .tiius unnecessary to provide a vertical screw or bolt,` such as is commonly employed, for attaching the cam. to `the shuttlebody and. thus not' only is the entire gripping device held in i'tion by a single element instead of by a plurality of e e- All) ments so as to facilitate its removal and replacement, but all danger from a displaced bolt or screw projecting above the shuttle body is eliminated.

The gripper device thus provided com prises but two separate elements, exceptingthe bolt and nut, and when one of the jaws is broken during use it is simply necessary to remove the one bolt and withdraw the fork and cam from the lshuttle body, replace the fork by a new one, and restore the parts to position, there being no loose or independent pieces which arev readily lost or displaced. Y

In Figs. 6 and 7 a slightly modified arrangement is shown in which the cam comprises the upper and lowerl plates 17 a and 18 connected by the inclined member 19a. The filler piece 16a is connected to the bottom plate 18a only by means of the rivet member 23a. Preferably this rivet member is of elongate form as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 so as to provide an adequate connection between the filler piece and the plate. In this construction the filler piece is not directly connected to the plate 17 a, and thus the operation of heading over the upper rivetis dispensed with. lVhile this arrangement may be found useful in some circumstances, I prefer to employ the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 to 5 since the permanent anchorage of the upper plate 17a through the filler piece to the lower plate prevents the upper plate from springing up out of position under the blows to which the inclined portion of the cam is subjected.

In the Figs. 8 and 9 a further modification is illustrated in which the upper plate 17b is connected by the inclined portion 19b on the lower plate 181. The filler piece 16b is provided with a projection 31 at its lower edge, such projection having an abrupt shoul er 32 and a cam face 33. lVith this arrangement the filler piece 16b may be slipped between the plates 17b and 18 by springing them apa-rt until the projection 31 snaps into the slot 34 provided for it inthe plate 18D. Normally the engagement of the projection 31 with the opening prevents separation of the filler piece and cam, although these parts may be separated if desired by springing the cam members apart. i

This latter construction has certain advantages since it permits replacement of a broken cam without replacement of the filler plate, but as it does not furnish as rigid ay connection between the parts, I prefer that arrangement shown in Figs. 1 to 5.

I claim:

1. A bobbin gripping device for shuttles, comprising spring jaws having shank portions, combined filler and cam means composed of only two parts, one part comprismg a filler piece extending between said shank portions of the Yjaws and 'having an inclined forward edge, and the other part comprising a bobbin positioning cam having a top por tion engaging edges of said shank portions ofthe jaws and an inclined portion engaging said inclined forward edge of the filler piece, said inclined portion extending continuously across the central plane of said device to present a surface which is continuous transversely therof, said two parts of the combined liller and cam means being integrally united by a part of the material thereof,

thereby avoiding the use of bolts to hold saidl parts together and affording a unitary structure which is substantially free from projections on top and which presents a continuous unbroken cam surface.

2. A bobbin gripping device for weaving shuttles, said device comprising a one-piece resilient fork having a narrow shank and spaced substantially parallel gripping jaws, a bobbin guiding cam having substantially parallel upper and lower plates spaced vertically to receive the shank of the fork between themand an inclined plate integrally united to the upper and lower plates respectively, shuttle engaging wings projecting lat,- erally from the upper and lower plates, a filler piece fitting snugly within the shank of the fork and between the upper and lower plates of the cam, said filler piece having an inclined surface engaging the inner surface of the inclined plate to support and stiiien the latter, and lugs projecting from the filler piece-into openings in the upper and lower plates respectively, Vthe lugs being riveted over, whereby permanently to unite the cam and filler piece, the shank of the fork and the filler piece having aligned openings forkthe reception of a transverse bolt for securing the gripping device within a shuttle body. j Signedby me at Boston, Massachusetts this 13th day of October, 1926.

WILLIAM T. PRESCOTT. 

